Seventh annual Poky Paddle held in Portneuf River
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Maclane Westbrook, KPVI
POCATELLO — (KPVI) — The seventh annual Poky Paddle was held Friday evening in Pocatello.
Poky Paddle is the event that bills itself as the most laid-back, fun-filled day on the Portneuf River, with proceeds going to Portneuf River Vision.
“It’s about the river vision of our community” is how the president and CEO of the Pocatello Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce, Matthew Hunter, describes the event.
“Having the river get back to some of its natural courses. The chamber does this totally as a fundraiser for (Portneuf) River Vision,” he says.
Portneuf River Vision aims to promote the environmental, recreational and economic opportunities of the Portneuf Valley. Events like the Poky Paddle help to deepen the relationship between the community and the water.
“I think it’s just great to be known as a river community where people can go float the river,” Hunter says. “It’s just good for the community.”
The event also featured plenty of local vendors, food trucks and live music. But they don’t see much traffic at the start of the paddle, because people are usually preoccupied.
“They’re in the river, man,” Hunter said at the start of the event. “Everybody’s in the river right now.”
Participants could ride the free shuttle service to Taysom Rotary Park for the short float back to Centennial Park, or opt for the long float starting at Edson Fichter Nature Area.
How well the float itself goes can vary from year to year, but attendees were greeted by calm river conditions for this year’s Poky Paddle.
“We’ve had years where it is raging, and you better have some skills to be out there floating it,” Hunter says of the river. “This year, you can just cruise along and have a nice easy float.”
The event raises funds for cleaning up and restoring the Portneuf waters while also getting people in the community out on the river that runs through it.
“We just really want to support our community, support the people that live here and really support the vision they have for our river,” Hunter says.